Self-locking seal



June 26, 1934. G J wENK SELF LOCKING SEAL Original Filed Aug. 3l, 1952 ATTORNEY Patented June 26, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SELF-LOCKING SEAL George J. Wenk, Woodhaven, N. Y.

Application August 31, 1932, Serial No. 631,152

Renewed September 9, 1933 6 Claims.

.5 jects, such as packages, boxes, car doors, etc.

lll'

The invention comprises numerous novel and ingenious details in the shackle and the casing, and particularly in the arrangement of a loose locking insert in combination with shackle fingers having inwardly projecting prongs; and also it involves novel features in a band or strap seal particularly adapted for use as a car seal; and the invention moreover embraces numerous details in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as will be hereinafter described in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing illustrating my invention:

Figure l is an outside or front elevation of my improved self locking seal, with the shackle having both ends introduced full length intor the shell and locked therein, some of the pocket features being shown in section.

Figure 2 is an outside or front elevation of the same without any sectional parts.

Figure 3 is an enlarged Vertical section# on the line of 3, 3, of Figurel.

Figure 4 is an outside elevation of the shackle and a vertical section view of the shell after the longer arm of the shackle has been partially inserted through the receiving slot into the shell and indicates the manner of the insertion Whereby a swiveling effect on the longer arm is secured.

Figure 5 is a partial top with one of the shackle arms in section, line 5, 5, of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a partial enlarged detailed sectional View of the inner locking end of the pockets and shows the independent movable insert therein which is engaged by the shackle teeth.

Figure 7 is a similar view showing the destructive action on the shell of the sharp prongs of the insert after a locked seal has been tampered with and broken.

Figure 8 is a detail plan View of a band or strap seal especially intended for use as a car seal and is shown separate from the interlocking shackle, said band lying at and straight before it is bent.

Figure 9 is a perspective View of the shackle for the band seal.

Similar characters of reference designate cor'- responding parts in all the different figuresVv of the drawing.

The main frame of the seal is a sheet' metal plan view of the shell, on the shell or casing Which is made in any suitable manner. As herein shown, it consists of a single blank of metal that is bent or folded upon itself at 1 to provide the at side 2, which may have raised parts for pockets or grooves, and also the opposite flat side 3, which is close against side 2,-

and also has raised parts for pockets or grooves; although it will be understood that the formation of theraised parts may be widely varied and one or the other of the sides may be flat, While'the pockets may vary greatly in shape and size; the edge 2a of the section 2 being bent over the'edge of section 3 to form a bead or rib which runs around the entire edge of the shell, except Where the fold 1 occurs, which fold is slotted to provide openings at 4 and 5 for the insertionof the shackle arms.

Thus the sides 2 and 3 are close to each other, except Where the said sides are stamped out or struck up to provide pockets to receive the shackle. In the side 3 a thin and oblong pocket is formed While the part of side 2 opposite 6 is at and smooth. This pocket 6 is adapted t'o receive the shorter arm of the shackle and extends, say, from the folded edge 1 for a distance of perhaps halfl the way to the other end of the shell, this pocket having an open entrance 5 through a slot in the folded edge l. The opposite or inner end of pocket 6 is enlarged to form a thin cavity 7 which is shaped at the top'with lateralshoulders 8. The

inner recess '7 is preferably square or oblong and contains a movable independent lock-ing piece of thin metal Qv/hich is square at the base andhas a central upper arrowhead 11, with lateral pointed inclined bobs or projections 11a and the insert 9 also has the sharp vertical lateral prongs12, 1'2. This insert 9`cooperates in locking with the ar'm 22 of the shackle or its'spring fingers 23 that is inserted in the pocket 6, and said insert 9 has an amount of play in recess '7.

The shell section 3' is further provided With another raisedpa'rt stamped therein or struckout therefrom of an elongated form to furnish at' one end a roundl or tubular pocket at 13 which is enlarged at its inner end at 14 to formfanother cavity having shoulders 16, said enlarged cavity 14being further enlarged at its inner end to form an additional recess 23 having shoulders l5, and the recess 28 contains another movable independent' lockingY insert 9 of thin metal and having the pointed features already described, the loose inserts in the recesses 7 and 28 having the same construction. Opposite to the semicircular part 13 ofthe tubular pocket, the side 2`of the blank is providedvvith asimilar or corresponding struck out semicircular pocket 13a, which, together with the pocket 13, forms a round or tubular pocket, both being essentially semicircular, and the lower end of this tubular pocket, at 13b, merges or slopes into the pocket 14, except where the shoulders 16 are provided, said shoulders being angular while the cavity 13b is round, although this precise shape for the lower end of the tubular socket and the shoulders may vary considerably. The outer end of this tubular pocket consists oi an opening Ll in the folded edge which serves to admit the other and longer arm 21 of the shackle, but thisopening 4, while it is centrally round, see Figure 5, has slots 4a which lie in a line crosswise at the shell or at right angles to the sides 2 and 3, so that the longer shackle arm 21 will be introduced at a right angle to the plane of the shell and can then be swiveled around inside the tubular pocket. Preferably, the rim of the opening l is bent over so as to form a llange 10 at the outer end of the tubular socket, which llange encircles the opening 4 and in it the slots 4e are cut. Thus the inner construction of the pockets for the longer and shorter arms are quite similar in so far as they provide for the reception and action o the loose sharp inserts which interlock with vthe ends of the shackle, except that the tubular part of the longer pocket allows the longer arni oi the shackle to swivel therein, as shown in Figure 4, before the other arm 22 has the opportunity to be introduced into the short companion recess 6 through the outer opening 5.

The shackle consists of a loop 20 and a pair ol parallel arms 21 and 22, the arm 21 being the longer. The inner ends of these arms 21 and 22 are split to form pairs of parallel spring lingers 23 having the ends or tips thereof projecting inwardly toward each other and being hooked lor provided with teeth 24 which are preferably inclined upwardly so that they may more easily engage in the indents under the lateral sharp projections lla of the arrowhead 11. When the teeth 24 are engaged under the pointed bobs 113, then any strain on the shackle or its spring lingers 23 will pull and strain very severely upon the arrowhead 11, and, as the neck between the teeth 24 is small, a severe strain would break tht neck and prevent the shackle from being re-engaged. Also, the strain on the shackle would raise one or both of the loose inserts 9 from the position shown in Figure 6 to the position shown in Figure 7, where the pointed projections 12 would strike against the shoulders 8 and, if the pulling strain is severe enough, the sharp projections 8 would cut right through the shoulders 8 and roll up the material thereof as indicated in Figure 7, thus shattering the structure of the recess and so damaging the seal that the eiect would be readily observed from without.

The arm 21 of the shackle is reduced in size for a portion of its length between the ring 20 and the fingers 23 at 17, 17, to form shoulders at 18 which are adapted to rest on the tubular socket ange 10 when the shackle is fully introduced in the shell, and this arm is also formed with shoulders 19 at the opposite end of the reduced section which are adapted to rest underneath the flange 10,- when the shackle arm 21 has been introduced through the slot 4a and then rotated to prevent withdrawal. In Figure 4, the arm 21 is being passed through the slot 4a and the shoulders 19 appear just above the slot, but a sholt additional drop of the arm would bring these shoulders below the slot and then a rotation of the arm 21 would bring the shoulders under the slot as they are indicated in Figure 5, in which position the shackle can be swiveled around as much as desired. This is before the short arm has been introduced into the pocket 6. Thus the shackle and shell can be connected together and prepared for sale commercially in a single unit. The long arm 21 swivels in the tubular pocket because the cut out parts or notches 17 allow this to be done and the shackle can easily be engaged then with a staple or any other object.

After the shackle is so engaged, both the arms Vcan be pushed home the full length into their respective pockets in the shell, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The result is that, when arm 22 enters through slot 5 into pocket 6 and is pushed down into pocket 7, it will, in the latter pocket, pick up the loose insert 9 in said pocket, for the spring ngers 23 on arm 22 will engage the lateral teeth l1L of the arrowhead. The teeth 24, as they descend into the pocket, engage the arrowhead ll and ride down the inclined faces thereof, expanding until they snap over and engage the pointed teeth 11e. While the short arm 22 is thus icking up one of the loose inserts 9 in pocket 7, the fingers 23 on the long arm 2l are doing the same thing, with a loose insert 9 in pocket 17. Thus both arms 2l and 22 are engaged not only with the inserts 9 but are so engaged therewith that any strain on the shackle would cause the inserts to break or puncture the shoulders 8 and l5, and thus destroy the shell, for, if the shackle is disengaged from a broken shell, it could not afterwards be reinserted and caused to engage the inserts again.

The inserts between the spring lingers of the shackle arms keep the lingers from collapsing together with a severe strain pull on them and, at the same time, the tapered prongs 12 of the inserts are forced to the extreme ends of their pockets under the shoulders 8 and 15. If severe force is used in trying to release the shack-le, the shell will obviously be punctured or destroyed, as is clearly shown in Figure 7.

The loop portion of the shackle may be Weakened by cut out points at 30 to make it easier to break off the shackle. My invention is readily adapted for use with a band or strap seal that is commonly embraced on car doors. Such a device is indicated in Figures 8 and 9. 25 denotes a strap or band of greater or less length and each end of this is provided with a casing or shell 32 which may be constructed in any desired manner, and in each shell 32 there is a loose insert like the insert 9, arranged and operated in exactly the same manner as in the shell shown in Figures 1 and 2. The shackle used with the band seal is shown in perspective in Figure 9 and is bent for convenience in use. This shackle 26 is provided at each end with a pair of toothed fingers 27 similar to the spring lingers 23. They are introducedinto the ends of the pockets 32 and caused to engage the loose inserts therein in the way I have already explained. When a band is provided with a shell and locking means at each end and an independent shackle piece is employed therewith, so as to furnish a two-part seal, it will be evident that the shackle can be made of any length required, thus relieving the necessity of providing bands of diiferent lengths. Furthermore, if desired, one or more hollow rivets, as shown at 31, and also at 33, may be used in holes made in the sides 2 and 3 or in the kband to more lirmly connect the sides together.

These eyelets can be riveted on one or both sides,

and, if desired, they can be llled with a lead piece which can be pressed with a seal and inscriptions can be marked on the seal.

What I claim, is:

l. In a self locking seal, the combination with a shell provided with a pocket, of a shackle having an arm entering said pocket, said arm being provided with spring fingers having at their inner ends inwardly projecting pointed teeth, and a loose insert in the pocket adapted to be picked up by the shackle to hold the latter nonwithdrawably in the shell.

2. In a self locking seal, the combination with a shell having pockets, of a shackle having parallel arms, each arm being bicleft to furnish spring fingers having inwardly projecting pointed teeth, and loose inserts having arrowheads formed with lateral pointed teeth that are engageable by the teeth of the spring fingers.

3. In a self locking seal, the combination With a shell having pockets, of a shackle having parallel arms, each arm being split to furnish spring fingers having prongs on the inside that project toward each other, and loose 'arrowheads provided With inclined faces that spread the spring iingers apart when they ride upon them, there being at the base of the inclined faces angular ends over which the spring fingers snap and securely engage.

4. In a self locking seal, the combination with a shell having a pocket, of a shackle having an arm cleft to furnish spring ngers having internal prongs that project toward each other and a loose insert having a central arrowhead adapted to be picked up and engaged by the spring fingers which snap over the lateral points of the arrowheads and said insert having also sharp lateral prongs adapted under strain to puncture the sides of the shell.

5. In a self locking seal, the combination with a shell, of a shackle having flexible arms provided wth terminal angular teeth that project toward each other and loose inserts having tapered prongs to puncture the shell under strain, which inserts are picked up by the flexible arms, and a central arrowhead engaged by the teeth of the flexible arms which project toward each other and snap under the lateral points of the arrowhead.

6. In a self locking seal, the combination with a shell, having pockets, a shorter and a longer, the shorter having a thin recess and the longer having a tubular portion and also a thin recess, said tubular portion having a flanged opening provided with a cross slot at right angles to the plane of the shell, loose inserts in the thin portions of the pockets, said inserts having sharp -lateral prongs and central arrowheads adapted to be engaged by the shackle, and a shackle having parallel arms, a short one and a longer one, each arm being cleft to furnish spring fingers )having inwardly projecting prongs that project toward each other and that engage the loose inserts and the longer arm having shoulders to enable it to swivel in the tubular socket before engagement is made with the inserts.

GEORGE J. WENK. 

